Chapter 223: A Letter to Qingqing and an Emergency Evacuation (Thanks to the

The lamplight swayed inside the tent.

Chen Shu sat before a small desk borrowed from Professor Shi's tent, leaning over to write earnestly, a glass of blueberry juice placed in front of him.

Dear Secretary Ning:

Have you missed me?

Since arriving at the camp, the tiny bit of signal that existed has vanished, and even satellite data is being blocked by the Lan and Yi countries. I just came out of the Square Body, and I even had the thought of borrowing a motorcycle to race back to Leche to have a video call with you and then racing back here.

Not being able to speak with you, I am dying.

It feels like there are countless little people living in my heart, shouting every day that they want to see Qingqing, want to see Secretary Ning; if they can't see you, they feel like ants are crawling all over them.

It's so noisy.

I originally wanted to write down everything I've wanted to say to you these days and then send it all to you once this is over, but I always felt that would be so strange, awkward.

After thinking it over, I feel this primitive method is better.

I asked the people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; if I want to write a letter to send out, I can just catch them sending someone to Leche tomorrow and have it taken along. It will take two or three days for the letter to get from Leche to Tasha, and from Tasha to Yujing it will be very fast; you should receive this letter in an estimated five to seven days. According to the current work progress, it is highly probable that we will not have left here by then, which is to say, I will still be trapped on this internet desert island.

The Duqin signal is too poor.

Having come here and having a comparison, I finally know how good things are back home. It's just like every time I part from you, I realize how much I cannot live without you.

This place is in the middle of the Gobitai, the conditions are very harsh, hot during the day and cold at night, the ground is covered in crushed stones and coarse gravel, and the only plants are saxaul trees; these saxaul trees actually reminded me of my previous afforestation projects.

Ah, you don't know about that...

Have you ever seen a saxaul tree?

Oh, you haven't.

It's my first time seeing one too.

I used to think saxaul trees should be quite big, at least a tree, but after coming here I realized that this kind of tree not only grows small, it grows slowly; they are just clusters of low, small shrubs, growing for two years and still not as big as wild grass, and even after growing for several decades they might not be as big as a patch of reeds, it infuriates me.

Hey! I won't tell you why I'm angry!

Are you feeling angry along with me?

Good, that was my goal.

My heart feels much more at ease now.

However, although it is desolate, the sunrise and sunset in this place are very beautiful, a beauty completely different from Yuanzhou.

The sunset in Yuanzhou is gentle and charming; here, it is magnificent and grand.

Today I specifically got up early, and specifically came out of the Square Body ahead of time, to take photos. Haha, I asked, there is a printer in the camp, I will go print these photos out in a moment and send them along with the letter to you.

But it's actually quite interesting here; although there is no internet, it isn't as dull as I imagined.

I enter the Square Body first thing every morning and only come out at night, which is about the same as when I was in Yuanzhou; I come out to eat dinner, read books, listen to music, and practice in the tent, and the day is over.

The only difference is that I can't go online and can't chat with you.

The food is also okay.

It's cooked by the logistics soldiers in the army, the taste is not bad, the variety is quite rich, and there is a lot of meat, it's just that it feels a bit too oily after eating a lot.

I miss you so much.

I want to hug you, I want to tease you.

I miss your long legs, I miss your slender waist, I miss that face of yours that looks like I owe you money, I want to spank you, I miss the scent of your hair... Last night I even dreamt of you wearing black silk, I felt like the portable washing machine you prepared for me was about to come in handy.

The three group members are also quite fun, it's just that the Nameless Person is always weird.

I'll go find them to play cards later.

I saw something very interesting in the Square Body these past few days, it will definitely make it onto the world's news platforms in a few days, can you guess what it is?

Fine, you can't guess it.

It's not a big problem.

Given that you are a Supreme Member, you can watch it in advance:

Handmade bicycles and push-style baby carriages from five thousand years ago suddenly appear inside the Duqin Square Body!? (Click to view)

Can't click it? Top up your money then.

Bicycles from five thousand years ago, isn't that very interesting?

But I have a vague, ominous premonition.

That's all for today.

When I return, I'll bring you back a branch of a saxaul tree, it's quite interesting; it looks like it's dried out, brittle, and hard, but it feels cool, moist, and soft to the touch.

Remember to take good care of Xiaoxiao, don't always hit her, and take her to eat some potatoes. Also, don't be too strict with her; although Xiaoxiao's self-discipline can't compare to a freak like you, it is still much better than her peers, she knows to study on her own.

Remember to miss me.

By the way—

Have you been banging your head against the wall?

October 15, 5021

Old Man Chen

Chen Shu folded the three pages he had just finished writing, placed them into a kraft paper envelope, and wrote the detailed address on it. But in fact, this letter would be sent out in the form of a courier; it would be too slow if sent by normal mail.

He got up and went out.

He first went to print the photos, put them in the envelope together, handed it to a secretary from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then went to find the group members to play cards.

Yet he did not expect to run into the three of them before even reaching their camp.

"Where are you going?"

Zhang Suannai asked him blankly.

"Looking for you all."

"What for?"

"To play cards." Chen Shu looked at them after saying this, "Where are you all going now?"

"Out."

"Where to?"

"Outside."

"..." Chen Shu fell silent for a moment, suspecting she was imitating his sister-in-law, "Where outside? A specific place."

"Wherever, I don't know either."

"What for?"

"To fight."

"Fight what?"

"Just a fight!"

Zhang Suannai raised the two Long Swords in her hands: "A duel between the brilliant Zhang Suannai and a mediocre Sword Master from history! How about it, doesn't it sound like the winner has already been decided?"

"Officer Song agreed to this too?"

"He agreed," Zhang Suannai said, "I pestered him for several days, and he only relented today, telling us to go far away to fight and if anything happened, to say we were here for tourism and take responsibility ourselves, but then he told Wuming to follow us. Wouldn't you say he's schizophrenic?"

"Then I'm going too," Chen Shu said.

"You can't."

"Hm?"

"You're an expert," Zhang Suannai said, glancing at him sideways.

"?? I think of you all even when I'm playing cards, and you won't let me watch you fight?" Chen Shu looked at them, feeling very pained.

"Of course you have to think of us when playing cards, otherwise how could you play alone? Can these be the same..." Zhang Suannai still refused, "Besides, that guy surnamed Song said we aren't allowed to bring you along, saying you're an expert, and if your safety is threatened because of us, he'll have me sent to a military tribunal."

"Are you afraid of that?"

"Not really that afraid."

"Emmm..." Chen Shu thought for a moment, "Are you afraid you won't be able to beat the Sword Masters of the past and don't want me to see it?"

"Bullshit!"

"Then you don't dare let me watch?"

"Let's go, let's go! I must let you witness how the brilliant Zhang Suannai beats the mediocre Sword Masters of the past to a pulp!" Zhang Suannai grabbed Chen Shu's sleeve with one hand and pulled him forward; in her impatience, Chen Shu's clothes were pulled out of shape by her.

"Don't pull, I'll walk myself."

Chen Shu wore a helpless expression; she was just too easy to goad.

Walking out of the camp, the surroundings became even more desolate; fortunately, it was a full moon tonight, and the moonlight was like snow, illuminating the Gobitai as if it were morning.

Chen Shu couldn't help but look up at the sky.

"!"

Chen Shu stopped in his tracks instantly and widened his eyes—

There was a human figure on that huge white jade disk!

Looking closely, he realized the figure was not on the moon, but standing quietly in mid-air; from Chen Shu's angle, the bright moon just happened to be his background.

But this was clearly a no-fly zone; anything more than five meters off the ground would be detected and warned or even attacked.

Who was this?

Zhang Suannai, in front, turned back to look at him:

"What are you looking at? Let's go!"

"Look—"

Chen Shu remained in his upward-looking posture.

The three of them also looked up.

"Woo!!!"

Almost simultaneously, a shrill alarm sounded from the camp in the distance.

All the soldiers instantly grabbed their weapons, put on their armor, ran out of their tents, and took their respective combat positions. Looking from afar, the camp was like it was boiling, full of running figures, the sound of footsteps and shouting mixed with the sound of War Chariots starting up, ringing out as one.

"Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel!

"Immediately take your combat positions! Protect the comrades from the History Expert Group and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Emergency evacuation! Emergency evacuation!

"I repeat—

"..."

The four of them looked at each other and instantly ran toward the camp.

As a Traditional Sword Cultivator with a Divine Sword in hand, although she was only at the Fifth Stage, Zhang Suannai could already perform short-term Sword Flight, but her speed while flying was very slow, not as fast or agile as her running at full strength; yet even while running, her speed was far faster than Chen Shu and the others.

However, she was very loyal, constantly controlling her speed to wait for the two of them, and consciously ran to the front, taking on the responsibility of finding the optimal route with the fewest obstacles.

The nameless person ran silently behind the two of them, ensuring their safety.

The few of them took the opportunity to glance ahead while running.

The Yiguo army reacted very quickly; under the emergency evacuation order, only a very short time had passed, yet vehicles had already rushed out of the camp, and the various transport and armored vehicles behind them formed a long line; they even saw the bus of the History Expert Group.

Then, an infantry fighting vehicle left the convoy, rudely crashing through the dirt mounds and saxaul trees in front, kicking up clouds of dust and sand as it sped toward them.

The few of them immediately adjusted their direction slightly and ran toward the infantry fighting vehicle.

Chen Shu also turned his head to scan the distance and the sky.

Not only the Yiguo camp, but the Lan Country camp was also evacuating in a hurry; even though they were a little slower than the Yiguo troops due to the chaotic personnel, only the Dukin Government Army and the Watcher armed forces walked out of their tents with weapons in hand, standing in the camp looking around, at a loss.

And that figure still stood suspended in the air.

He made no indication, said nothing at all; merely his arrival and presence were enough to make the elite troops of two superpowers abandon their camps and flee in a panic without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Shu had no time to think more.

The four people and the War Chariot approached rapidly.

"Swish!"

The tracked infantry War Chariot performed a drift, shoveling up a large spray of sand and gravel, turned its direction to drive toward the main force, and simultaneously opened its tailgate with a clatter.

The few people accelerated again, caught up to the War Chariot, and jumped onto the tailgate one by one.

The tailgate closed with a bang.

Inside the vehicle, besides the four people, there was only one soldier, Zuo You; in the front, there was also a driver and a combat system operator, and the vehicle was filled with the constant sound of orders transmitted from the Command Center and the driver's report that the four had been picked up.

"Return to the main force immediately!"

"Yes!"

The tracked War Chariot roared as it raced across the Gobitai, its speed pushed to the limit, charging straight through any obstacles on the road without hesitation.

Furthermore, the few people clearly felt that the War Chariot had activated its Spiritual Energy Shield.